President Obama to UN: Denounce Middle East violence, stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon

President Obama pledged continued U.S. involvement in the
turbulent Middle East at the United Nations Tuesday and vowed that the
U.S. will do "what we must" to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear
weapon.

President Barack Obama addresses the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday.
AP

NEW YORK — President Obama pledged continued U.S. involvement in the
turbulent Middle East at the United Nations Tuesday and vowed that the
U.S. will do "what we must" to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear
weapon.

Obama opened his remarks to the United Nations General Assembly by
recalling the life of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens,
who was slain in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

He said the recent attacks in the Middle East were not only against
America.

“They are also an assault on the very ideals upon which the United
Nations was founded - the notion that people can resolve their
differences peacefully; that diplomacy can take the place of war; and
that in an interdependent world, all of us have a stake in working
towards greater opportunity and security for our citizens.”

Under pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take
a tougher stand against Iran, Obama delivered no “red line” that Iran
must not cross.

He insisted the U.S. wants to resolve the issue "through diplomacy"
and believes "there is still time and space to do so.”

But he said the window for diplomacy is “not unlimited," warning that
a “nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained. It
would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf
nations, and the stability of the global economy. It risks triggering
a nuclear-arms race in the region, and the unraveling of the
non-proliferation treaty.”

Before Obama spoke, UN Secretary Ban ki Moon warned that the civil war
in Syria was a “serious and growing threat” to the world, and called
on the international community and governments in the region to bring
an end to the violence.

Obama said the regime “of Bashar al-Assad must come to an end so that
the suffering of the Syrian people can stop, and a new dawn can
begin.”

And he called for patience in the Middle East, saying the “turmoil of
recent weeks reminds us that the path to democracy does not end with
the casting of a ballot.”

He added, “true democracy demands that citizens cannot be thrown in
jail because of what they believe, and businesses can be opened
without paying a bribe. It depends on the freedom of citizens to speak
their minds and assemble without fear; on the rule of law and due
process that guarantees the rights of all people.

He again decried what he called a “crude and disgusting” anti-Islamic
video that the administration at first blamed solely for the attack on
the consulate in Libya as well as anti-U.S. demonstrations across the
region. He said the video’s “message must be rejected by all who
respect our common humanity. It is an insult not only to Muslims, but
to America as well – for as the city outside these walls makes clear,
we are a country that has welcomed people of every race and religion.”

He distanced the U.S. government from the creation of the video and
sought to answer critics in the Middle East who have pressed the U.S.
to ban such videos. He explained U.S. law and the U.S. constitution
protects the right to free speech.

There was little reaction from the hushed hall during his remarks, but
Obama prompted laughter when he noted that “as president of our
country, and Commander-in-Chief of our military, I accept that people
are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend
their right to do so.”

And he argued that today’s technology makes “obsolete” the notion that
free speech can be contained.

Yet he said there was “no video that justifies an attack on an
Embassy” and argued that the violence won’t. There is no slander that
provides an excuse for people to burn a restaurant in Lebanon, or
destroy a school in Tunis, or cause death and destruction in
Pakistan."

He pressed his fellow world leaders to “speak out forcefully against
violence and extremism. It is time to marginalize those who – even
when not resorting to violence – use hatred of America, or the West,
or Israel as a central principle of politics. For that only gives
cover, and sometimes makes excuses, for those who resort to violence.”

Obama’s speech comes as his Republican challenger has seized on the
unrest in the Middle East to step up attacks on Obama’s foreign
policy, accusing him of making the world less safe and on this trip,
of putting politics ahead of diplomacy.

Obama didn’t meet with a single world leader during his brief trip but
did make time to tape an appearance on ABC-TV’s The View. Romney’s
campaign sent reporters a roundup of newspaper headlines that noted
the lack of meetings, along with his TV appearance, where he delivered
a birthday basket to co-host Barbara Walters and joked about
celebrating his upcoming 20th wedding anniversary.

Speaking across town at former President Bill Clinton’s Global
Initiative, Romney was to pledge to make U.S. aid more effective.

Obama was to address Clinton’s forum later today. He was returning to
Washington by mid-afternoon – and planned to be back out on the
campaign trail Wednesday, stumping in Ohio where Romney has been
campaigning.

At his address, Romney was to propose linking foreign assistance with
trade policy, saying the current aid system is unrealistic and stifles
private enterprise.

He said U.S. assistance is “not responsive to the demands of the
modern, global economy and reflects an outdated way of thinking about
the world."

The initiative is the latest Romney effort to propose a more muscular
foreign policy while emphasizing economic programs at the same time.
Romney’s fellow Republicans ripped into Obama’s record, seeing
opportunity to raise questions about Obama’s handling of foreign
policy – which has been a positive for the president who frequently
boasts of the death of Osama bin Laden, as well as the end of the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Republicans continued to criticize Obama for saying in a 60 Minutes
interview that the attacks in Libya reflect “bumps in the road” in the
Middle East, with Republican National Committee chairman Reince
Priebus saying they underscore “serious national security crises that
reflect his weak leadership.”

The committee released a web video accusing the administration of a
"crisis of leadership."

Republicans seized on the turmoil in the Middle East to paint Obama as
detached from world events, saying the White House offered
“inconsistent information" about the attacks in Libya that killed four
Americans and "offered no defense" for security levels at its
embassies and consulates.

“"President Obama promised that he would restore America's moral
standing in the world. Yet, for the last four years, instead of
standing up for America's interests and values, this president has led
from behind," RNC Chairman Priebus said.